Showing posts with label Marc-Andre Bergeron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marc-Andre Bergeron. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

MORNING SKATE: Isles at ‘Canes

The Islanders finish off a home-and-home series on back-to-back days with the Carolina Hurricanes while they also start a two-game, four day road trip which will also take them to Boston for a game on Thursday.

Here are some notes from today’s morning skate…

- Today was an optional skate for both teams. About 14 Islanders took the ice after a team meeting.

- Wade Dubielewicz will start for the Islanders tonight while it looks like Cam Ward will be back in net for the Hurricanes. There were some talks that John Grahame would start tonight, but it doesn’t look that way.

Just like other players, Islanders head coach Ted Nolan said that “Dubie has earned his ice-time and deserves to play.”

- Unfortunately, there won’t be a Ted Nolan/Brandon Nolan match-up this season. Brandon, a top prospect for the ‘Canes, is currently with their AHL affiliate in Albany.

- The last time the Islanders were in Carolina, they won 4-1 off a stellar performance from Dubielewicz and Marc-Andre Bergeron who burned Carolina with two power-play goals and an assist. By the way, Carolina enters the game with the league’s worst penalty kill unit.

Monday, January 7, 2008

ROAD TRIP BLOG: Day 4 / Isles at Oilers

Monday, January 7

As a heat-wave hits Edmonton (the temperature is around freezing), the Islanders take on the Oilers tonight. Here are some notes…

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The Islanders will use the same lineup tonight with Bryan Berard as the healthy scratch. Former Islanders prospect Robert Nilsson looks to be a healthy scratch for Edmonton tonight. Raffi Torres, another former Islanders prospect, is out and it was announced today that he will undergo season-ending knee surgery.

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The goaltending match-up is Rick DiPietro versus Mathieu Garon.

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This is Marc-Andre Bergeron’s first trip back to Edmonton since the trade that brought him to the Island last season. Literally, his first time back. He said he didn’t even come back to sell his house over the summer. He said: “It feels a little weird.”

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Bergeron jokingly asked an Edmonton writer if he will be booed tonight. The writer said: “Edmonton fans treat home and visiting players alike… They boo everyone!”

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It really felt like we were in Toronto or Montreal with the media this morning. I asked an Edmonton journalist this morning how many media members would be here today and he said “a few camera and a handful of writers. Not too many” Well, it was more like ten cameras, ten writers and a bunch of radio guys. Talk about being in a fishbowl. Sorry Ted, MC and Berger!

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Miles traveled so far: About 2,836
Miles to be traveled tonight from Edmonton to Vancouver: 773

Sunday, January 6, 2008

ROAD TRIP BLOG: Day 3

Sunday, January 6


Following a flight from Denver to Edmonton last night/early this morning that took a little over two hours, the team practiced at the Rexall Place at 2:00 pm MST. Ted Nolan felt that after getting into the hotel at 2:30 am last night that the team should have a chance to sleep in. Thanks, coach.

It was an optional skate this morning and not too much media coverage. The two local Edmonton papers were there along with ITV. It looks like there will be a Mike Comrie feature story in the papers tomorrow. Mike had some pretty good and honest answers for them. They also spoke to Marc-Andre Bergeron with this being his first time back to Oiler Country since the Islanders acquired him last season.

With an optional practice this afternoon, the team will hold a mandatory morning skate tomorrow.

Very quiet day in Edmonton today... If anything else happens, I’ll check back later.



Total Miles Traveled: About 2,836

Saturday, December 22, 2007

MORNING SKATE: Caps at Isles

Not a lot went on this morning for the Islanders. With only three members of the Orange and Blue skating, a Washington Capitals coach said: “Well, this is one of the lightest morning skates you’ll ever see.”

Same lineup and line combinations for tonight’s game for the Islanders.

Marc-Andre Bergeron broke yet another pane of glass at the Coliseum. The scary thing about it is that it didn’t even look like it was off one of his hardest shots.

Rick DiPietro versus Olie Kolzig looks to be the match-up in net tonight. Olie the Goalie is 26-10-2-0 all-time versus the Islanders. He picked up a lot of the wins when the Capitals were rolling off victories against the Islanders for many years. But recently the luck has started to turn as DiPietro is 7-3-0-1 lifetime versus the Caps. Rick’s GAA against Washington? 1.99.

All children 14 and under will receive a secret holiday gift courtesy of the Islanders Children’s Foundation when they enter the Coliseum for tonight’s game.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

MORNING SKATE: Pens at Isles

The Islanders faceoff against Atlantic Division rival Pittsburgh tonight at the Coliseum. The last time the Pens were in town the Islanders won 3-2 on Al Arbour night.

Here are some notes from the morning skate…

- The entire team skated this morning after receiving a day off yesterday.

- The probable match-up in goal tonight is Rick DiPietro for the Islanders and Dany Sabourin for the Penguins. Sabourin was once a highly thought of prospect a few years ago and according to Penguins beat writer Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he outplayed Roberto Luongo in Vancouver a few games ago.

- At the end of practice, Marc-Andre Bergeron was showing off his strong slap shot to the fans in attendance for the second-half tickets open house event. After the cracking a first pane of glass behind the net by accident, Bergeron had some fun with the fans and broke three more. His teammates broke two more to send the Coliseum staff scrambling to replace them.

- I don’t know if Josef Vasicek is an environmentalist or not, but trees be warned. JoVa got in a shipment of sticks this morning. That’s nearly 50 wooden sticks. Jo is the only Islander currently using wood sticks.

- Penguins' defenseman Sergei Gonchar is rumored to be out tonight and the Pens will make a roster move to get an extra skater up for the game. Forward Erik Christensen is also out for them.